100 Ways to Get to Know You
by Midori12
Summary: An 100 Theme Challenge fanfic for Reid/Hotch, each Theme being a different one-shot. Rating may change to T. Latest Theme: Blood - It wasn't near his heart, but he was losing a lot of blood quickly. They didn't have time to grab bulletproof vests and now it was going to haunt Hotch forever.
1. Introduction

**So, I began catching up on Criminal Minds, and I was hit with inspiration to write more Reid x Hotch. Even with a bazillion stories on my hand, I couldn't help myself. I haven't written anything for Criminal Minds since I began posting things on this site (my Reid x Hotch stories _Elementary Love _and its sequel _Rapid Eye Movement_. Total shameless promoting. XD), so I guess it's time for me to start it up again.**

**Now, I've wanted to try my hand at the 100 Themes Challenge forever. I had an idea to do one for Pokemon and Colbert x Stewart, but I also kinda wanna do one for this pairing. Next thing you know, I'll have an 100 Themes Challenge for all of my favorite pairings of any series…**

**Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you enjoy this, and I hope I don't give up halfway through. These'll probably be pretty short so that that doesn't happen. I promise!**

* * *

**Theme One: Introduction**

Spencer Reid couldn't believe how packed the train was today. He assumed the most logical explanation was that there was some kind of concert going on near Times Square. He remembered hearing someone in the café he went to yesterday mention that a band was set to play this weekend. He figured that day was today.

Great. Now he was completely cramped against a bunch of screaming fangirls. Whoever this band was must have been full of attractive men. Reid didn't care much for getting the attention of women. It wasn't that they were too complex to figure out or anything; that was easy enough for Reid to figure out. It was simply that his appearance and broad knowledge of, well, _everything _seemed to give off the impression that he was a nerd and one to steer clear of. Reid didn't think anything was wrong with him, but it was human nature to single out people into different groups, categories, or cliques. Women who squeal obnoxiously for the nicely dressed males of _GQ Magazine _definitely wouldn't bother to bat an eye at someone like Reid.

Sigh. Reid wished he did not choose today of all days to choose the subway as a reliable source of transportation.

He would be moving soon. He was offered a spot at the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. He couldn't wait to get out of this city. He had grown up in Las Vegas so he didn't think New York City would be a problem for him, but I guess the increase of population by nearly five million people was seriously showing a little too much.

A young woman behind him stumbled, running right into his back. This caused Reid to fall forward, slamming his face right into someone's chest. Both Reid and the person let out a huff.

"S-sorry," Reid fixed his glasses on his face, glancing up to face the person he had ran into. He was a slightly taller and older man, with silky black hair and dark brown eyes, wearing a typical business suit. He looked at Reid with curiosity before smiling.

"It's all right," the man said in a deep voice, holding onto Reid's arms to help him keep his balance. "It's pretty crowded in here. Stand here, I'll help keep you in place."

Reid blinked. "Um, o-okay." He said nervously.

The rest of the short train ride seemed oddly silent to Reid as he stood relatively close to this unfamiliar man, the man grasping his shoulders so that he wouldn't fall back into the crowd. Sure, many people were conversing with one another and some were even yelling obnoxiously for no reason, but Reid couldn't hear any of it over the sound of…his heart beating? And something else…the man's breathing? It was all nerve-wracking to the young genius. No one had ever bothered to help Reid out before, so this was rather new to him.

Plus, giving this man another quick look, this man was pretty attractive…

Reid mentally smacked himself. And then physically smacked himself. What was he thinking? His quickening pulse and shortness of breath were suggesting _something_, but he tried to blame it on the heavy crowd. Y'know, so many bodies in such close proximity of one another. It was pretty hot. His sweater vest wasn't helping much, either.

Finally, the train reached it's next destination, which seemed to be near Times Square considering how most of the crowd flooded out of the train quick, fast, and in a hurry. They all must have been late or something.

Reid wasn't really paying much attention to any of those details. He was just glad he now had some breathing room. He wouldn't need to get off of the train until the next stop.

"This is my stop."

Reid glanced up at the man who was still conveniently holding onto his arms. He was smiling at Reid, letting go of his arms to pat his shoulders. "You'll be okay, right?"

Reid took a moment before answering. "Y-yes! I'll be fine!"

"Okay then," the man said, grabbing a suitcase off the floor next to him that Reid didn't even realize was there. "See you later."

Reid nearly frowned as he watched the man exit the train. He had been the only person who even seemed concerned for Reid, and he hated to see him go.

But…was it more than that? Was there something else about the man that compelled Reid to want to converse with him? Learn everything about him?

Reid sighed, sitting down on the now available seat behind him. He should have asked for the man's name, or maybe a card. He looked to be your average businessman. He could have worked _anywhere _in the city. It would take forever to deduce what his line of work involved and where.

He tried desperately to remember any important details about him. Then his eyes widened at the realization of the man's last words.

"_See you later._"

* * *

Reid sat in the BAU office, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the man in charge. He couldn't wait to introduce himself to this person, ready to start his job as a profiler for the FBI. He was ready to show that his expansive knowledge and eidetic memory could be put to seriously good use.

He patiently waited, wondering what could be taking him so long. After awhile he grew tired of standing, so he asked someone nearby if he could rest somewhere instead of standing in the way of everyone walking by. The bald black man he spoke to smiled at Reid and told him he could wait in Aaron Hotchner's office, pointing out where to go. Reid thanked him and went up the stairs to Hotchner's office.

He wasn't sure who Aaron Hotchner was, but he figured if he had his own office that he was pretty important. Maybe he was his boss? No one had given him a name, he was just told that he would be recognized by him or her. Reid wasn't even informed which gender he or she was.

Just as he was about to sit in one of the two chairs placed across the desk someone entered the room. He glanced over at the other person who now occupied the room gasping in complete surprise. It was the same man from the train.

"_See you later._" Reid was told he'd be recognized.

"I knew I would meet you again," he smiled brightly at Reid. "Now I guess I should introduce myself to you, Spencer Reid." He held out a hand to Reid.

"Welcome to the BAU. My name is Aaron Hotchner."

* * *

**So cheesy.**

**So, each of these is going to be a one-shot, unless I specifically mention a continuation of a different chapter. Man, 100 chapters? That's the goal. One down, lol.**

**Until next time!**

**~Midori**


	2. Love

**Why did the second Theme have to be Love already?**

* * *

**Theme Two: Love**

"_Someone once said that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to._"

Reid recalled hearing those words, but for once, he wasn't sure where. He could remember vague details about anything; listen to a long statement that someone spoke to him and repeat every last word that had been said. It was a very useful skill when needing to pay close attention to anything a serial killer would say that might seem minute at the time but end up being the very clue to catching him or her.

But right now, those very words were replaying in his mind and he couldn't place where he had heard them. It was a man's voice, and it sounded very familiar…

"_Do you trust me, Reid?_"

Whoever it was addressed him by his last name. The only people that called him by his first name were his parents and some of his friends at the BAU. But not all of them did.

The females normally called him Spence or Spencer (Garcia being the exception, as she had tacked on the name Junior G-Man), but most of the males called him Reid. Was it one of them?

"Why can't I remember…?" Reid clasped his hands to his head in confusion. He was the one of the very few people left in the BAU office after getting back from a long case. It was getting late and soon enough he would have to leave.

But why of all times were these particular words coming to mind? He wasn't even sure how long ago he had heard them. They had to mean something of importance if they wouldn't leave his head. It might have just been more troubling that for once, Reid _actually _couldn't remember something.

"Something must have been going on around the time those words were being told to me…" Reid thought aloud. "What is it…?"

"Reid? Why are you still here?"

Reid glanced over at Hotch, who was standing outside his office. He was looking at the genius with a questionable look on his face.

"Hotch…" Reid stood up. "I-I was actually just leaving…" he began to grab his bag and throw it over his shoulder, not paying attention to Hotch walking down the stairs and approaching him. Hotch placed a hand on Reid's shoulder.

"Reid, are you alright?" Hotch asked, sounding concerned.

Reid stared at him, surprised by Hotch's sudden approach. He wasn't normally this forward. "Um, I think I'm alright…"

"Is there something on your mind?"

Reid glanced around, not wanting to face Hotch directly. Now, because of his behavior, there was no denying it. Reid finally nodded.

"Would you like to talk?" Hotch pointed to his office.

Reid looked around, noticing a few people still left in the bullpen. "Sure." He took Hotch up on his offer and followed him up to his office. Hotch closed the door behind him.

Reid took a seat in one of the two chairs across from Hotch's desk while Hotch took the other. The younger man didn't question why his boss had decided to sit next to him instead of at his own desk.

"Well?" Hotch inquired.

"Um," Reid scratched his chin, not sure how to explain his odd predicament. "I'm actually having trouble remembering something."

Hotch stared at him quizzically. "_You_? Having trouble remembering something?" he repeated, making sure he had heard Reid correctly.

"Something…someone said to me."

"Are you missing details of what was said, or…"

"I remember all of what was said, I just don't remember who said it to me."

"Well, what was it that they said?"

Reid took a deep breath before reciting back the phrase. "_Someone once said that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to._"

Hotch's eyes widened. He blinked a few times, and Reid observed every move carefully. Hotch knew something.

"Hotch?"

Hotch closed his eyes and leaned forward, startling Reid. When he was only inches away from the younger man's face, he reopened his eyes.

"Do you trust me, Reid?"

Reid gasped, coming to the realization that it had been Hotch that told him that very phrase, considering that the line '_Do you trust me, Reid?_' had been the next thing that was said.

"Why don't…I remember…you telling me that?" Reid tilted his head in confusion.

"Because I said it to you a few weeks ago, when we got back from the case in San Francisco. I was driving you home, but you fell asleep in my car. I went ahead and brought you to my house." Hotch explained. "Remember waking up there that next morning?"

Reid nodded. "O-of course." He stumbled on his words, clearly recalling his surprise when he woke up in Hotch's bed while Hotch slept on the couch. He had the involuntary reaction of sniffing the blanket, taking in Hotch's scent.

"Well, when I carried you in the house to my bed, I said that to you. You must have woken up for a moment, but then returned to sleep immediately after."

Reid still didn't understand something. "W-why exactly did you say that to me?"

Hotch smiled before leaning closer to Reid once more. Reid held his breath, not entirely sure what Hotch was doing. It made his blood rush to his head, thinking of what he could be doing. Hotch then paused, his mouth mere centimeters away from Reid's ear.

"I trust you, Reid."

* * *

**I actually heard that phrase on an episode of Criminal Minds recently, so I thought it would be perfect to use here. It's now one of my favorite quotes.**

**~Midori**


	3. Light

**Theme Three: Light**

Reid slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, but it didn't help. It was completely dark.

"Hmm…?" he rubbed his eyes, having just woken up. He glanced over at a bright red neon light flashing the time: five fifty-two.

_The sun will be rising soon,_ Reid thought, clenching the blanket lying over him. If it weren't for soft, steady breathing next to him, Reid wouldn't have realized that there was someone next to him. Since it was still dark he couldn't see him, but Reid knew exactly who it was.

_Wait a minute, I'm positive I fell asleep on the couch in the living room,_ Reid recalled. He was at Hotch's house, having been invited over for a nice dinner. It was quite random, especially for Hotch and considering they had casual conversation instead of talking about anything specific, but Reid went along with it.

But now he was a little startled. He was _certain _that he grew tired and Hotch offered him the couch, which he gladly took. He didn't mind staying at Hotch's house; Jack was with Jessica so it was just Reid and Hotch. Just Reid and Hotch…

Reid shook his head. Right now, he was lying next to his boss in his bed. He was still trying to piece together thoughts he couldn't remember: how did he end up in here?

_Hotch can't find out I'm here,_ Reid told himself, preparing to slip out of bed. He paused, turning to look back at the man he still couldn't see. He wished the sun would finally come up and shine through the window so that he could see Hotch's sleeping face, something that would not only be hilarious considering how stern he always looked but probably adorable as well. Reid made a face. Adorable? Did he really just use that word to describe his boss? His extremely serious boss, hardly ever cracking a smile?

Adorable?

Reid sighed. All he really wanted was to get Hotch to smile.

He decided to wait a little while before crawling out of bed. In the middle of spring the sun was bound to rise before six thirty. Not too much more time to go.

He twiddled his thumbs, trying to wait patiently but was beginning to get annoyed. It was obviously impossible for time to speed up, but Reid secretly wished for it too at this particular moment.

Finally, an orange light began seeping through the blinds. Reid glanced over at Hotch, watching his face nearly glow in the sunlight. Reid was right; Hotch didn't even look the same when he slept. Such a peaceful face…

Suddenly, Hotch's eyes flew open. Reid jumped and nearly yelped.

"Hey, Reid," Hotch addressed him, and the genius froze in shock.

"H-Hotch…?" Reid stuttered. He was waiting for Hotch to begin asking questions, but he just stared at Reid. Reid began to panic. "U-um…?"

"Did someone sleepwalk?" was Hotch's first question. And one that Reid didn't even consider.

"Sleepwalk?" Reid raised his eyebrow.

"I watched you last night. I woke up in the middle of the night when I heard a noise and the next thing I knew you were in my room and crawling into my bed."

Reid blinked. Hotch knew he was probably trying to rationalize the probability of him actually sleepwalking.

"A-and you didn't wake me up?" Reid asked.

"I turned on the light and before I could say anything, you were completely passed out. And your sleeping face was so cute, I just couldn't bother to wake you. So I just let you be." Hotch smiled.

The sun was now illuminating Hotch's face perfectly, and Reid wasn't sure if he liked watching him sleep or seeing him smile more. And he was still confused about the fact that Hotch just said he was cute. _Cute_? Did Hotch ever use words like that?

Honestly, it didn't really even matter at this point. If Hotch didn't mind Reid lying next to him, Reid was just going to enjoy it. As long as the sun was up, he could just stare at Hotch all day and not even care.

Adorable, huh?

* * *

**I kinda wished the Dark Theme came before the Light Theme because I had an idea to put the two together. Now the Dark Theme is going to be really dark…**

**But I guess that's the point.**

**~Midori**


	4. Dark

**Theme Four: Dark**

It was so dark.

Reid was panicking. The unsub had found a way to separate him from Morgan and had knocked him out. When he woke up, he discovered he was in a very tight, confined space while lying down. He assumed he was in a box of some sort, hopefully not a coffin…

He couldn't move his hands, for they were tied behind his back. He was so uncomfortable, but that wasn't the worst problem.

It was so dark.

Reid hated the dark. He was in tears, not sure whether he would ever see light again. Or his friends, or his mother.

Or Hotch.

He could never gather up the courage to tell Hotch how he felt and now that he was in this situation, he was regretting it. Why did he always have to get himself into trouble?

He really hoped Morgan noticed by now that he was missing. Reid wasn't sure how long he had been passed out, but this unsub liked to burn his victims alive, getting off by watching them squirm to put the fire out that he would just keep throwing gasoline on. Reid didn't think he would get the same treatment, possibly to be trapped in this box until the unsub felt like setting it on fire.

Reid sobbed, keeping his eyes open at the possibility that maybe the top of the box would be removed and he could see light again. See his friends. See his mom.

See Hotch.

It was too dark.

* * *

**Short chapter is short.**

**I don't like writing short chapters, but there are going to be 100 of these. I gotta pick up the pace!**

**~Midori**


	5. Seeking Solace

**Theme Five: Seeking Solace**

Hotch wasn't too sure what was going on.

Someone had rung his doorbell at one in the morning. He hadn't been able to sleep anyway so he decided to answer it, even though he was completely confused as to who was at his house this late at night. Maybe it was an emergency, who knew?

But he was definitely not expecting a crying Reid to be standing at his doorstep. Hotch stared at him and waited for him to say something. When it was obvious that he wasn't going to respond, Hotch lightly grabbed his hand and directed him into his house.

He was going to offer the genius to sit on the couch while he grabbed him a glass of water, but he wasn't given a chance before Reid threw his arms around Hotch and buried his face into the older man's chest.

Hotch paused for a moment, wondering if it was really necessary for Reid to be hugging him in this manner. There were far too many questions that needed answers: Why was Reid here so early in the morning? Did he know what time it was? What was he crying for? Why didn't he text or call first? Why choose Hotch's house to go to instead of Morgan or JJ's?

But Hotch should have known that asking any of these questions wouldn't warrant any answers, at least right now. Reid was here, at Hotch's house, at one in the morning, crying, and Hotch needed to be there for him, regardless of whether the genius realized where he was, what time it was, and…well, he was still crying. Something was wrong.

So Hotch just slowly wrapped his arms around the youngest member of his team and held him like that for a few minutes. In time, Reid would tell him what was wrong and they would discuss the issue. But for that moment, all that mattered was that Reid was seeking a shoulder to cry on.

And it was Hotch's.

* * *

**Ah, so short…**

**I'm trying to update these faster, I swear. Geezus, they only take 10 minutes to write. GET ON IT, MIDORI.**

**~Midori**


	6. Break Away

**Theme Six: Break Away**

The images of the dead children wouldn't stop flashing through his mind. He gripped the sides of his head and cringed, begging for it to stop. Prentiss reached out to him, but when he fingers connected with his arm he flinched. He screamed and ran out of the office, into the streets of the small town and ran, _ran _as far as he possibly could.

He had never been so disturbed by a case in his life. It wasn't like him to let something like this get to him, but this case…was much different. The unsub kidnapped children, killed them, and chopped off one particular part of their body to…_consume._ He would dump their bodies wherever he felt, leaving the bone and remaining skin and muscle of the missing body part right next to it.

The case was getting to everyone. Garcia had already thrown up twice, JJ couldn't even face the pictures anymore. They couldn't hang the pictures anymore; it was too disturbing.

But Reid was the first one to react outright about it. He was now running as far away as he could, not caring where he ended up.

He reached a lake not far outside of town and immediately vomited. After he was done, he washed his face and rinsed his mouth out. He sat down and hugged his knees, feeling horrified with himself. Sure, no one could ever be as _disgusting _as this unsub, but Reid couldn't let this get to him. Time was of the essence; if he didn't stay together with his team to solve this case soon, more children would fall victim to this awful man. Reid needed to keep it together.

He prepared to stand up, but got dizzy and fell over. He lay on the ground for a moment, realizing that he had barely been able to eat since this case started. And now that he had thrown up, there was nothing in his stomach. The nightmares had prevented him from getting much needed sleep, so energy was very hard to come by.

While he lay on the ground, he stared into the bright blue sky. A few white clouds sifted by ever so slowly, but he noticed the movements and watched them carefully. For a moment, he forgot that the world was really a terrible place. For this moment, there was peace.

But peace was momentarily disrupted when Reid heard a crunching noise not too far from him. He jumped up and spun around, very surprised to see Hotch walking toward him with his hands in his pockets.

"Reid," Hotch spoke softly. Reid frowned. He knew that Hotch was very upset with him.

"H-Hotch…"

"May I join you?"

Reid blinked and upon closer inspection noticed how red Hotch's eyes were. Reid felt himself tearing up as well and nodded his head.

"For a moment," Reid said.

"That's all we have time for."

And Reid and Hotch sat next to each other for only a few minutes, basking in their peace before having to return to that horrible place known as the world.


	7. Heaven

**Theme Seven: Heaven**

Reid held onto Hotch's hand as tightly as he could possibly manage. The water was so cold and threatening to tear them apart, but he wouldn't let go.

He couldn't figure out which way was up. Were they swimming upward? Maybe downward? At this point, he was just flailing their legs and hoping to reach the surface.

But it was useless. Oxygen wasn't coming to them, and it seemed like it never would.

Reid wasn't too sure what lead to this mess. Had Hotch been trying to…_kill _himself? Reid had plunged in after him, falling much farther down into the water than he thought, and took a hold of his hand. For Hotch to have driven all the way out to here to find a deadly cliff to jump off of…

He really had been trying to disappear from this world.

Reid didn't know how he could have missed the signs, and if he weren't completely surrounded by water, he would have burst into tears.

He was now doing his best to pull Hotch toward the surface, but he didn't know where that was and he was running out of oxygen. His lungs felt like they were about to burst and he was losing strength.

He wasn't going to make it.

No matter what, he wasn't letting Hotch go. He was going to follow him regardless of where he ended up. The chances of returning to the world of the living were slim now. Reid spent the rest of his time with his held breath to make sure of two things:

Keeping his grip on Hotch's hand and praying that they would be accepted into Heaven.

* * *

**Are Reid and Hotch ever going to catch a break? Sheesh.**

**~Midori**


	8. Innocence

**Okay, so, since there are going to be 100 of these, I figured that they all didn't have to take place in the same universe. So, some of these chapters will take place in high school, just to try something different. The BAU team will all be about the same age (about seventeen/eighteen), save for Reid who will be twelve. Assume that they are all Reid's only friends.**

* * *

**Theme Eight: Innocence**

"Hotch? Can I ask you something?" Reid walked up to Hotch at his locker after school.

"Sure," Hotch closed the locker and glanced at the young genius. The older boy swung his backpack over his shoulder. "What's up?"

"Um, I need you to come to my locker with me. It's something I need to show you…" Reid adjusted his glasses, trying not to drop his books. Hotch took them out of his hands and Reid glanced at him curiously.

"Let's go," Hotch smiled at him and Reid blushed.

They made the trip to Reid's locker, which was also next to Morgan's locker. Because of Reid being bullied, Morgan had demanded the principal to move his locker next to the genius's. Morgan intimidated many kids, so not many people messed with Reid after that. There were still a few that tried to fight Morgan on it, but Hotch mainly took care of the rest. He had a scary unintentional glare, after all.

The seemingly awkward pair reached Reid's locker and paused. Hotch was waiting for Reid to begin the combination, but he didn't budge. Hotch made a face.

"Aren't you going to open your locker?"

Reid looked around like he was waiting for something. A few students were still clearing out the building. "Just wait a few minutes."

Hotch raised an eyebrow in confusion, but decided not to question it. They stood in silence for awhile until the hallway was practically empty. When Reid was sure that they were the only two people left, he began putting in his combination.

"Derek gave me something earlier and I wanted to ask you about it," Reid said, slowly opening his locker.

"Huh?" Hotch handed Reid his books to put in his bookbag. "Why do you have to ask me about it?"

"Because I tried asking what he was giving me and he just laughed and ran off," Reid shrugged.

Hotch blinked. This didn't sound good.

"Well, what is it?" Hotch urged, now very curious.

Reid huffed before yanking his bookbag out of his locker. He looked around once more before unzipping the front pocket and pulling something out.

Hotch gasped in horror at what Morgan had given the young genius.

"Hotch, why did Derek give this to me?"

Hotch quickly snatched the porn magazine from Reid's hands before he decided to flip through it, destroying his innocence prematurely. Reid wasn't ready for that, and Hotch was now out for blood.

"DEREK MORGAN, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

* * *

**Lol, taking a step back from all the depressing themes so far. Everyone needs some humor every once in awhile.**

**~Midori**

**P.S. Is it bad that it took me until the end of this chapter to realize that I made Hotch eighteen and Reid twelve? Don't think of it in a pedoish way, I guess, lol. Maybe more of a crush on who he looks up to. I've been working with a story all about Pokémon pairings recently and that universe is freaking no-holds-barred like nobody's business, lol. **

…**I'm not bothered by much.**


	9. Drive

**High school AU again. :P**

* * *

**Theme Nine: Drive**

"Are you ready for this?"

"I-I think so…"

"Is this your first time?"

"Yes…"

"Are you nervous?"

"Of course I am! I'm not sure what to expect!"

"It's okay, we'll take it nice and slow."

"…O-okay."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, Hotch… I do."

"Well, okay, let's get started."

"W-what should I do first?"

"Well, stick it in already! I handed it to you awhile ago."

"D-don't rush me! I said I was nervous!"

Before Reid could stick the key into the ignition, Morgan burst out laughing in the backseat.

"What's so funny?" Reid inquired, and Hotch glared at the jock.

"Hotch, it sounds like you're teaching him how to have sex!" Morgan was laughing so hard he was crying. "Geezus, that's just good stuff!

"W-what?" Reid blushed and Hotch reached back to smack Morgan in the head.

"Oww!" Morgan rubbed his head.

"Shut up!" Hotch yelled. "You're not helping!"

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood!"

Reid stuck the key into the ignition and turned it, starting the car.

"Spencer?" Hotch glanced at Reid. "Are you ready?"

Reid looked out the windshield at the rocky country road before him. "Y-yes! I wanna get this over with already!"

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Hotch said.

"Well, I'll have to learn eventually. Better now than later."

Morgan snickered in the backseat, and Hotch glared at him again. He stopped and looked out the window.

"Now, this is my car," Hotch said. "So let's try to be careful."

Reid nodded. "I understand."

"Now, put your foot on the brake and put the car into drive," Hotch instructed. Reid did just that, placing his right foot on the brake and moving the joystick to the D.

"Release the brake and the car should move on its own."

Reid lifted his foot, and the car slowly moved. Reid gripped the steering wheel tightly and Hotch placed his large hand over Reid's smaller one.

"It's okay," Hotch smiled at him. "You're doing fine."

Reid glanced over at Hotch for a second before returning his gaze to the road. He involuntarily smiled warmly at Hotch's touch and suddenly wasn't as nervous anymore.

"Now move your right foot to the accelerator and—"

Reid seemingly got a little too excited and accidentally slammed his foot on the accelerator, the car instantly jerking forward. They were already hitting forty!

"Waahh!" Morgan hadn't been buckled in, so he fell over onto his side. Hotch was holding onto the bar above him while Reid gritted his teeth.

"Spencer, you're going too fast! Hit the brake!" Hotch yelled. Reid lifted his foot and threw it onto the brake, the car coming to a screeching halt. Hotch held one hand onto the bar and the other onto the dashboard. Morgan flew forward and collided with the two seats in front of him, falling to the floorboard.

"…O-oww…" Morgan didn't move. Hotch stared wide-eyed in front of him, finally deciding to put the car in park himself. He glanced at Reid, who was frozen stiff with his hands glued to the steering wheel. He had a crooked smile on his face.

"M-maybe this wasn't such a good idea…"

"Yeah, maybe not…"

"…Oww…"

* * *

**My mom told me she was twelve when she first began learning how to drive. My sister is almost fourteen and I'm terrified at the thought of her driving. How could anyone manage _that_?**

**~Midori**


	10. Breathe Again

**It's funny that I got a review from someone asking me to continue with Heaven's chapter because I actually _was_ planning on doing that with this Theme! See how that worked? :D**

**So this is the continuation of Theme Seven's chapter.**

* * *

**Theme Ten: Breathe Again**

Reid's eyes slowly opened, and began shivering uncontrollably. His lungs were burning and he coughed loudly. Before his eyes could adjust to his surroundings, he lay still and twitched his hand next to him. What was this soft graining substance? Sand?

His ears took in the sounds of crashing waves. At that moment, he felt something cold and wet graze his feet and legs, and he sat straight up. A beach? What was he doing here?

He shook his head, trying to fend off the cold but failing miserably. He hugged his arms and began looking around. To his right, he noticed a large cliff a distance away. He gasped as and his memory began to seep back into his head.

Hotch had jumped off of that cliff. And he had jumped after him.

Reid began to panic. Where was Hotch? He promised he wouldn't let go of his hand and now… The genius glanced at both of his hands, sand sticking to his palms.

Before he could begin to cry, he turned his head to the left of him. His tears stopped when he spotted someone next to him in that familiar suit of his.

Hotch. Hotch was right next to him!

He was still unconscious. Reid leaned over him and placed his ear to his chest. He couldn't hear the older man's heartbeat.

"Oh my God, Hotch!" Reid reacted quickly, unbuttoning Hotch's polo shirt and pumping his chest with his palms. Reid feared that he probably swallowed too much water. He glanced at Hotch's lips and didn't even think twice before placing his own upon them and breathing into him.

Reid repeated the process of pumping his chest and breathing air into him. _Hotch, please! _Tears began to stream down the younger man's face. _Please, wake up! You couldn't have gone to Heaven without me! Come back! PLEASE!_

Suddenly, Hotch was choking and spitting out water. Reid paused and watched Hotch exhale the rest of the water from his throat.

"Hotch!" Reid instinctually grabbed the older man's cold hand and gazed at him for a moment. Hotch opened his eyes and blinked several times before looking at Reid.

"R-Reid…" he spoke, his voice raspy.

"Hotch!" Reid let go of his hand and throw himself onto Hotch, hugging the man as tightly as possible. Hotch just laid there, honestly surprised that he was still alive.

He breathed through his nostrils and sniffed the salty scent of the water in the air. He didn't think he would ever breathe again after he was submerged, but the whole time someone had been there holding his hand and making sure that he could.

Spencer Reid. Hotch closed his eyes and tried to think of how he would explain this to the young genius.

* * *

**So…will this be continued?**

…**Maybe. :P**

**~Midori**


	11. Memory

**Theme Eleven: Memory**

Everyone knew that Reid's memory was incredible. There was no doubting that. If Prentiss were to walk up to him and ask what she was doing last Monday at ten-thirty in the evening, he would tell her that she was complaining about how she still had six files to rummage through and that she gave up on it and left early. If Garcia asked him what it was that Kevin had said to her when the three of them were standing together getting coffee, he would recite it back to her perfectly so that she would have no doubt that Kevin's statement had seemed odd for whatever reason.

But one thing about Reid's memory was that every one he had of Hotch seemed to blur sometimes, as if he couldn't exactly remember what was going on around that time. He couldn't fathom why it was this way, but he didn't bother telling anyone. People would begin to suspect things, and Reid wasn't sure he wanted to try to explain anything.

Sure, Reid _liked _Hotch, but why would that be the reason for the random skips in his memory concerning the older man? Reid pondered this several times, but couldn't ever come up with a logical answer.

Which was very troubling. Reid even flipped a table once because of how frustrating this made him.

One day, he decided to talk to Hotch about his problem. But he went about it a different way.

"Hotch, do you remember the day we met?" It was a question that Reid _had _known the answer to, but it was the only memory of Hotch's that he could remember vividly. Well, the _moment _they had met, per se. He didn't remember what else happened that day, as if none of it had been important.

Hotch blinked at him for a moment before smiling ever so slightly. This confused the young genius greatly. Why was Hotch smiling?

"Of course I do," Hotch answered. "Gideon brought you into the office and said that you had filed to be a member of the BAU. He asked me if I would consider accepting you. I was seriously confused because you barely looked over twenty, but I decided that if Gideon had confidence in you that I should as well. So without even bothering to look it over, I welcomed you to the BAU."

Reid's eyes widened. He never realized that Hotch had never even looked over the paperwork. So…he was accepted to the team just like that?

"But why?" Reid asked. Hotch's smile faltered.

"Huh?" Hotch looked confused. "I told you why not long afterward. Don't you remember?"

Reid scratched his chin. "N-no…"

Hotch put his hand on the top of Reid's head. "Because I saw something special in you before you even said anything. You didn't have to. I just trusted my instinct. And I was right, wasn't I?" He shook Reid's hair and chuckled. Reid blushed.

"S-sure…" Reid said.

"But…" Hotch removed his hand and stared at Reid. "Did you really not remember me telling you that? I thought you had a perfect memory."

"Nothing can ever be defined as perfect," Reid said. "I-I guess I just have gaps in it sometimes…but mostly concerning you…"

Hotch blinked. "Me?"

Reid nodded. Hotch put a finger to his chin for a moment before leaning forward.

"Well, will you remember this?"

Before Reid could begin to wonder what he meant, Hotch planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Reid stood frozen for a minute before allowing the blood to rush to his face. He suddenly dizzy and put a hand to his head.

"W-w-w-w-wha—?" Reid couldn't even speak in a complete sentence. Hotch laughed warmly and patted the genius's shoulder.

"It's okay," Hotch said. "Just in case you forget that one, I'll give you a few more every few days so that at least one of them should stay in your memory." He then walked out of the room.

Reid could swear steam was flying out of his ears. Of course he wouldn't forget _that_.

But he would decide to act as if he didn't, just so Hotch would keep doing it.

* * *

**Aww! The fluff… :3**

**~Midori**


	12. Insanity

**There were so many cliché things I could have done with this Theme…**

**But…I had a good idea for the High School AU. :P**

* * *

**Theme Twelve: Insanity**

Reid was about to lose his mind. And the feeling in his arms.

He walked carefully to his locker, having the peek around the large stack of textbooks that he was carrying. When he was positive that he had reached his locker, he dropped all of the books onto the floor, the sound resonating loudly through the empty hallway. He stared at the scattered books in frustration and kicked one of them with a grunt.

"I can't believe they conned me…" Reid said through gritted teeth, not able to finish the sentence. But he knew that he hadn't been conned into anything, his friends just didn't even give him a chance to say no…

_Earlier…_

_Garcia bouncily approached the young genius with a math textbook in her hand. She was waving it up and down in front of him, but wasn't saying anything about it. Reid gave her a questionable look._

"_What?" Reid asked. Garcia suddenly shoved the book into his chest, causing him to huff out air and cough. "Ouch! What was that for?"_

"_Speeeeenceeeeeeer!" Garcia said in a pleading tone, clasping her hands together. Reid narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly where this was going. "I was assigned _really _hard math homework! I need your help!"_

"_Um, I'm sure I can help, but—"_

"_Yay, awesome!" Garcia pulled him into a bear hug, then backed off quickly. "I gotta go now, KTHNXBYE!" Garcia then sped off in the opposite direction, leaving Reid to stare at where she had just been standing moments before in shock._

"_I said I would help, not do all of it myself!" Reid shouted, but she was already gone._

"_Dammit…"_

_Later…_

"_Hey, Spence," J.J. sat down at Reid's lunch table, where he was sitting with Prentiss and Rossi. J.J. didn't have a tray of food, but two textbooks instead and a notebook. Reid glanced at the books curiously._

"_What's up?" he asked, taking a bite of his cheeseburger._

"_I'm having the same trouble with my math homework as Penelope," she said, and Reid paused mid-bite. "She said you were helping her with it, so I thought maybe you could help me out, too."_

_Reid put down his cheeseburger and noticed that she had _two _textbooks. "That one isn't for math."_

"_Yeah, but I need help with Government, too," she pushed the books toward Reid, shoving his tray aside. "So, yeah, thanks!" J.J. quickly jumped up and walked off._

"_Wait, J.J.!" Reid called after her, but she already disappeared into crowd. Reid turned back to his food and grumbled._

"_What?" Prentiss gasped. "You're gonna help her with Government? I need help, too!" She grabbed her Government book from off the chair next to her and set it on the stack of J.J.'s books. "Thanks, I gotta go meet Ashley!" Prentiss grabbed her tray and took off for the trash can._

_Reid stared at the seat Prentiss had just been sitting in before glancing at the textbooks and then Rossi. The older teen raised his eyebrow as he bit into his burger._

"_I don't understand why she just gave you the same book if you already had J.J.'s," Rossi asked. Reid put his hands over his face and shook his head._

_Afterward…_

_Rossi had asked Reid to follow him to his locker before sixth hour began. Reid, who was now carrying four extra textbooks on top of his own two, hoped that maybe Rossi would take the two duplicate textbooks and leave them in his locker until tomorrow, since Reid didn't have time to run back to his locker._

_But he was very disappointed at what Rossi did instead._

"_My Science teacher hates us," he removed a giant Biology textbook from his locker and added it to Reid's pile of stacked textbooks. Reid's mouth hung open in shock and he felt that his arms were about to give out. "Thanks," Rossi closed his locker and walked away._

"_D-David…!" Reid struggled to speak as his arms were holding much past their limit, and Reid had to rush to class before he collapsed from strain._

Reid glared at the books, surprised that Seaver or Morgan hadn't also asked the genius to 'help' with their homework as well. But he had also not seen either of them today, and now that school was over, he hoped he wouldn't.

"Hey, Spencer!"

Reid banged his head on his locker when he heard Morgan's voice. He really was about to lose it…

"What the hell was that for?" Morgan asked as he began to open his locker next to Reid's. Not giving Reid a chance to answer, Morgan continued. "So I heard that you're helping Rossi with his Biology homework…"

Reid clenched his fists. Rossi shared the same Biology class with Morgan.

"And I was wondering—"

_Slam! _Morgan jumped and Reid glanced over. Hotch was standing behind Morgan, his hand on the locker next to his. Morgan turned around and blinked at him and Reid blushed.

"You were wondering what, Derek?" Hotch asked with the most serious face. Morgan felt intimidated.

"U-um…" Morgan stuttered. "I was just going to ask Spencer if he would help me with my homework…"

"Are you sure you weren't just going to throw your textbook at him and demand he do it himself?"

"Um…" Morgan chuckled slightly. "No?"

Hotch smirked. "Okay, then, why don't we all do our homework together? At least this way, you can actually get your homework done, unlike Penelope, J.J., Emily and David."

Morgan glanced down at the pile of textbooks on the floor and then laughed nervously. "Of course! They're definitely going to be SOL tomorrow, huh?"

Hotch removed his hand from the locker and bent down to pick up the textbooks off the floor that didn't belong to any of the three currently standing there. He shoved them in at the bottom of Reid's locker. "You can return those to them in the morning. In fact, demand they come to your locker to get their books, don't carry them for them."

Reid nodded. "Um, okay…"

Hotch patted the genius's head. "Reid, you're too nice."

"But, they're my friends…"

"Maybe so, but they know that you'll do it for them without question." Hotch ruffled Reid's hair. "This is why I'm here for you."

Reid blushed. "T-thanks…"

"Yeah, cause he would surely lose his mind without you!" Morgan laughed, and Hotch elbowed him in the ribs. "Oww!"

"Let's go to my house and have a study session," Hotch smiled at the younger boy. Then he turned to face Morgan, who was holding his side with a single tear hanging off of his eye. "You're welcome to come as well."

"…I-I may consider…"

"Will you really get your homework done without us?"

"…N-no…"

"Well that answers that question."

* * *

**I can't decide whether I like writing the serious or the highschool!AU chapters more. So hard!**

**What do you guys think?**

**~Midori**

**P.S. I have a list of all 100 Themes on my profile page. Granted, it's there for my Pokémon story, but it's the same list for this story. If anyone has an idea for any of the next few Themes, let me know! I might use it in this story! :D**


	13. Misfortune

**Theme Thirteen: Misfortune**

Reid tried his best to hold back his tears. J.J was patting him on the shoulder, but he couldn't bother to acknowledge her.

He just stared in front of him, down at the large box in front of him that held the most important thing to him. He was absolutely devastated that this had happened, but there was no going back. What was done was done.

His other teammates had begun to disperse. Garcia glanced at Morgan as she started to walk away, but Morgan shook his head. He told her that he would remain by Reid's side, even if the younger man chose to stand here all night. If that were the case, he would remind the genius that there was no point in standing here forever.

Of course the genius knew that, but he couldn't bother to move. He couldn't bother with anything. He just had to wait to fully let it sink in.

Morgan sat on the ground next to Reid, who was still standing and staring at the ground, which the box that had been there before was now under. Prentiss had stopped by later to bring them food, but Reid couldn't bother to eat.

It took a few hours, but Reid finally let the tears stream down his face. Morgan stood up and placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

The 'box' was a casket that held Hotch's body. And it wasn't so much as a loss for his boss, but a missed opportunity to tell him how he truly felt for him.

And now he was gone, and there was no going back.

* * *

**I write these in ten minutes so I can remember that I still have over eighty of these to go, but I do my best to make them meaningful.**

**And sad, apparently. :/**

**But next is Smile! And I got a suggestion for it, for it should be happy! Yay! :D**

**~Midori**


	14. Smile

**Theme Fourteen: Smile**

There was one thing that troubled Reid about Hotch: he was always serious. Sure, their job hardly involved anytime for smiles and giggles, but even while they were just in the office relaxing there was always some chuckle emitted from one of the team members, whether it be from Morgan teasing Reid or Prentiss joking with Garcia about her weekly new hair color.

But Hotch hardly ever smiled while he was in the office or on the job. And Reid didn't see Hotch that much outside of work.

But when Reid did catch Hotch smile, it was one of the moments Reid would always cherish, regardless of whether Hotch was smiling at him or not. It was something that always made the younger man's heart stop for just a moment, the color on his cheeks darken, the hair on the back of his neck stand up, a tingling sensation to run through him as if he was just jolted by electricity. Something so simple could make him freeze up and be completely unaware that Morgan was addressing him until he threw a paper ball perfectly at his face and snapped the genius out of his thoughts.

When Hotch smiled, it was like he was the only person around in that precise second, and Reid couldn't help but return it back as Hotch turned away.

He always imagined that _he _was the reason Hotch would smile.

* * *

Hotch was normally pretty professional at keeping his trademark stern face. But there were just some times when he glanced at the genius and he couldn't help break his demeanor to smile at him.

* * *

**I find it hilarious that I look at the list of Themes and think "Man, I could go two different ways with this…" Do you know what that is? Depressing or High School hilarity.**

**It's a good thing I thought up the high school idea or else most of these would be pretty dark… I know this has nothing to do with this chapter, but it's just a forewarning. I guess.**

**~Midori**


	15. Silence

**Theme Fifteen: Silence**

_Crap, this is bad! _Reid ran through the halls frantically, hoping not to run into any of the administrators. It was already bad enough that his alarm didn't go off and he had to run to school, and he knew his teacher was going to be pissed, but the administrators at the school were complete assholes. Reid never had a problem with them but when he heard of Garcia's awful run-in with one of them when she was late, they threw her in detention for a whole week. _That _was a sure-fire way to make sure students stayed out of the halls and got to class on time.

Reid had gotten lucky so far, but his damn classroom was on the other side of the building. He didn't think his luck would keep up for much longer.

But his luck suddenly took a different turn when he rounded a corner and ran straight into someone. He tumbled to the ground, the books in his hands falling with him.

"Dangit!" he shook his head, rushing to pick up his books and stand up. "I'm so sorry, I—!" he went to apologize to who he ran into and was stunned to find who he was face to face with.

"W-wha—? H-Hotch?"

"Spencer?"

The older boy stared at Reid incredulously. "What are you doing running through the halls? Are you late?"

"Yes, very," Reid said, still very flustered. "What about you?"

"My teacher wanted me to run him some copies," Hotch held out the stack of papers in his hand. "You should hurry to class be an administrator—"

No sooner had the words left Hotch's mouth when they heard the clacking of high heels. Not many girls their age walked around in high heels; in fact, it was actually banned at their school unless it was for an event of some sort. But that detail meant that it wasn't a student that was approaching them from around the corner.

"Shit!" Reid didn't curse much, but this situation practically warranted it. "What am I gonna do?"

Hotch glanced around real quick and, conveniently, there was a broom closet right next to them. Hotch reached to open the door. "In here, quick!"

Reid didn't even hesitate to jump into the narrow, confined space. The problem was that he definitely hadn't been expecting Hotch to leap in with him. Now they were in a bizarre bundle of limbs as Hotch struggled to gently close the door.

"H-H-Hotch!" Reid tried to gasp for air, not only because Hotch was mostly on top of him and his weight was a little much for the twelve-year-old, but because Hotch was _on top of him_. He wasn't sure what was going on and his body was reacting in strange ways he had never experienced before.

"Sshh!" Hotch urged in a whisper as he tried to hold himself up against the wall so that he wasn't crushing Reid. "You have to be quiet or she'll catch us!"

Reid bit his tongue. It was completely dark in the closet, but he could feel Hotch's breath wafted over his cheeks. It actually smelled really minty…

Reid was about to lose it.

Hotch, sensing that Reid was having a hard time controlling his loud breathing from his mouth—Hotch thinking that it was because he was on top of the younger boy, but not realizing it was mostly for a different reason—held his hand over the genius' mouth. Hotch couldn't catch that Reid was so tempted to scream, the darkness not allowing him to read his face.

They heard the clacking pause for a moment before walking right past the door and out of earshot. Hotch waited a moment before releasing his hand from Reid's mouth.

"There, I think we're okay," Hotch said. Reid didn't respond. "Spencer? Are you okay?"

He reached to open the door a crack to see Reid's face. He gasped and noticed that Reid was actually unconscious. He had passed out!

"What the hell?" Hotch was confused. Was Reid claustrophobic? Or did Hotch really squish him so bad that Reid ran out of air? "Oh, shit…"

The door suddenly swung open and Hotch instantly panicked. He thought the administrator had turned around and came back, but when he noticed who was standing there, Hotch wasn't sure what was worse: the administrator…

"'Oh shit' is right, Hotch! What the _hell _are you and Spencer doing?"

…Or the smirking Morgan before him.

* * *

**This will lead into the next chapter.**

**~Midori**


	16. Questioning

**Continuation from last chapter. :P**

* * *

**Theme Sixteen: Questioning**

"Seriously, would you like to fill me in?"

Hotch and Reid were doing their best to avoid Morgan's gaze. They were standing at Reid and Morgan's lockers after school.

"How about this question?" Hotch began. "What the hell were you doing out in the hallway during class?"

"Necessary bathroom break," Morgan answered. "I told the teacher my mom was dying and they let me go."

"What the hell?" Hotch sounded shocked. "How did you get away with that?"

"My teacher is easily sympathetic. She won't let you use the bathroom, but if you say you just found out your cat died, she'll let you go to the office."

Hotch and Reid just stared at him in confusion. Morgan shrugged.

"…Not even going to question any more…" Hotch put his hand to his forehead.

"So now that I answered your question, you have to answer mine," Morgan smirked.

"Avoiding the administrators!" Reid shouted a little too loudly. He was hoping Morgan would just drop the subject, but knowing his jock friend, he wouldn't let it go so easily.

"Really?" Morgan asked in a tone that hinted that he didn't believe that. "Are you sure?"

"I'm plenty sure!" Reid continued shouting. His hands were balled into fists. He was so embarrassed, and it was so much worse that Morgan had found them in that compromising position. It was awful.

"Okay," Morgan smiled. "If that's really the truth, I'll just tell Penelope and David an—"

"NO, DON'T TELL ANYONE!" both Reid and Hotch shouted. Luckily, there was no one else in the hallway, but their voices resonated throughout the entire hallway. The principal's office was just at the end of the hall.

Morgan continued to smile, and Reid was so tempted to just throw the Government textbook in his hands at him.

"C'mon! Why not? It's a pretty funny story," Morgan chuckled. He was having too much fun with this.

"Seriously, Derek," Hotch crossed his arms. "Nothing even happened, it was just a really cramped closet. We couldn't help that."

"Well, then, maybe I won't tell anyone if you decide to do my math homework for me for the rest of the semest—ooph!"

Morgan was promptly smacked in the face with Reid's textbook. Reid had thrown it in anger and was now abandoning it to storm off down the hall.

"What the hell?!" Morgan's nose was now dripping blood. "I was just joking!"

"Remember, Spencer has a hard time catching jokes. He takes things very literally," Hotch sighed. "But on the other hand, I think you deserved it."

"He threw his book at me! Spencer is never violent!"

"Well deserved."

"Dammit…"

* * *

**CRAPPY CHAPTER IS CRAPPY, SORRY!**

**I just wanted to finish off what happened last chapter. I think everyone likes the Reid/Hotch/Morgan interactions and they are a lot of fun, so I hope you enjoyed it anyway.**

**Next Theme is Blood. Not sure what I'm going to do exactly, but it probably won't be good. Just a forewarning.**

**~Midori**


	17. Blood

**Theme Seventeen: Blood**

He watched the criminal fall hard to the floor of the warehouse. But not before seeing the same thing happen to Reid beside him.

"Reid!" he called out, completely ignoring the unsub. He was pretty positive that he was dead anyway; it had been a clean strike through the heart from his bullet.

Hotch knew the team was on their way, but he hadn't been sure exactly _how _far. He had tried to hold off on shooting the unsub so he could take him to jail instead, but when he fired off his gun unexpectedly he had no choice. But the bullet didn't hit him like it should have, it hit _Reid._

"D-Dave," he called over the walkie along his wrist. "Bring an ambulance!"

"_Is everything all right?_" his friend asked and Hotch gritted his teeth.

"J-just get here fast!" he couldn't answer him, but he was sure by his tone that he had hinted at something being wrong.

The genius was cringing in pain, holding a weary hand over the wound in his own chest. It wasn't near his heart, but he was losing a lot of blood quickly. They didn't have time to grab bulletproof vests and now it was going to haunt Hotch forever.

Especially if Reid…

"Dammit, where the hell are they?!" Hotch yelled. He held his hand on top of Reid's, trying to apply as much pressure to it as possible. "Reid, you're okay. Just hang on!"

"H-Hotch, it's just a…just a scratch…" Reid huffed. "I-I'm okay…"

"Reid, don't talk," Hotch ordered. "Everyone's on their way. You'll be fine."

But all the blood continuing to pour out was suggesting otherwise. Hotch had dealt with his teammates getting hurt and sometimes even shot before, but whenever it was Reid… The genius had always managed to get himself into trouble so this shouldn't have been anything knew. But everyone on the team was always protective of him.

And for Hotch to be standing right there and let him get shot…he began to tear up.

"Reid, I'm so sorry," he leaned over him, putting his nose to the back of his hand that was preventing as much blood as possible from leaving his body.

"H-Hotch, it won't help to…blame yourself…" Reid then began coughing horribly, spitting some blood out. Hotch panicked.

"Reid!" he called out, not that it was helping. Hotch hated feeling so helpless. Why couldn't the team just _get _here already?! "You're gonna be okay, all right? We'll get you to the hospital and get you all cleaned up."

Even through the pain, Reid could still manage to smile. It pained Hotch too much to look directly at him. "T-thanks, Hotch…"

Hotch then raised his head and brought it back down toward Reid's forehead, doing something he had felt tempted to do for awhile. He kissed his forehead. He tilted his head back to look directly into Reid's droopy eyes, both of them doing their best to hold tears.

"H-Hotch…" Reid whispered.

"Just hang tight," Hotch said, taking Reid's other hand into his own. "Grip my hand as tightly as you can so I know you still have some fight in you." Hotch squinted his eyes in surprise at Reid's strong grip.

"I-I told you I'd be…okay…" Reid continued to smile. Hotch felt a single tear roll down his cheek. He tried to ignore the feeling of the warm red liquid seeping from the genius' body on his opposite hand.

"Good," Hotch grinned sadly. He suddenly heard the echo of sirens in the distance.

"Just a little longer, Reid…"

* * *

**This story isn't dead, I promise! I've just fallen severely behind. And I really hope this is the last time I have to type that, at least for this story.**

**But I've been binge-watching Criminal Minds recently, so I got some inspiration to write more. Hell, I'm even watching it right now!**

**As for this chapter, I set it up so I could possibly write a continuation for it in another Theme. Not sure which one yet, but look forward to it!**

**~Midori**


End file.
